the beginning
by Bonasena
Summary: the beginning of Claire Conrad and Mac Taylor (slightly AU since I am not going to kill Claire in 9/11 but expand on their family instead) (what could have been)
1. first meeting

Mac Taylor, a 24-year-old Captain of the US Marine Corp, stationed in San Diego, is sitting on the beach watching some teenagers play in the water. He has the day off. He originally took the day off to spend it with his girlfriend Julia, but that was planned before she broke up with him. Yesterday, she told him that she broke up with him because she didn't feel that he was committed to their relationship, so she didn't want to stay in San Diego for a guy who wasn't fully committed to her. So she had already bought a ticket home to her parents in New Orleans before she had even broken off their relationship. She hadn't even given him a chance to say or do anything. In the moment he had been a little sad but after a long run and a work out in the gym, he had already sort of gotten over it. Maybe it was for the best. Maybe had hadn't really been fully committed to their relationship. She had never met his parents. Actually, he hadn't even mentioned her to his parents. They had been together for close to 2 years but he never really felt the need to make it officially to his parents. Telling his parents was something that the Captain took very serious like that meant something really special when he told his parents about a girl.

Now he is sitting on the beach in his swim shorts and just looking at the water and the teenagers playing in the water. Enjoying the wind in his hair and the sun shining against his face. After, what feels like a few hours, but is probably just a half an hour he decides to go for a run. Running is something that always clears his head. If he can't sleep or he has a bad day he always goes for a run. He gets up and walks towards the road. The warm sand feels burning against his bare feet. He is carrying his shoes in his hand. Earlier in the morning, the sand felt good on feet. But now when it is close to noon the sand is burning hot. Once he gets to the road he stops and takes a seat n a rock to put on his shoes when he hears a familiar voice behind him.

'Hey, Mac.' Mac turns around and sees his friend it. Stand Withney coming towards him. Shirtless only wearing swim shorts.

'Where are you going? come play with us, man.' Stan is only 1 year younger than Mac. Mac has always thought Stan was a great Marine and he has always been a great friend for Mac, but Stan is a much more social person than Mac. Mac often handles his personal life by him self Stan prefers to drown problems in alcohol and girls.

I'm not in the mood Stan.' Mac says.

'come on. It's only me and a few of the guys. No ladies.'

Mac sees a few of his friends that are also marines throwing a volley ball around. Mac had never played beach volley before he came to San Diego. Back home in Chicago where Mac grew up he mostly played baseball on the school team and throw a foot ball once in a while with the neighborhood kids. Stan who is a west coast beach boy was shocked when Mac told him that he had never touched a volley ball before in his life. Stan had made it his personal mission to get Mac to love volley ball. So far Mac thought it was fun to spend time with his friends on the beach but beach volley will never become his favorite sport.

Mac decides to skip his run today and to have fun with his friends. He gets on the team with two young men, one from Texas and one from South Carolina. Stan is on the opposite team than Mac. They play for a little while until a water break is much needed in the San Diego summer heat. The loser team, Macs team is the one to go for water for all of them. Macs too teammates run first when they see two young girls standing in the line for the beach shop. Mac just walks at a slower pace behind them when he is suddenly bumped into by a young girl.

'Oh sorry.' The young girl says and turns around to see the person she bumped into when she was trying to catch a freebie her friend had thrown way too far.

'that's alright.' Mac says. The young girl has strawberry blonde hair tied up in a ponytail. She is only wearing a black bra and a pair hotpants. She has a pair of sunglasses sitting in her hair. Her skin has a light sun brown glow. Mac notices right away her shiny blue eyes and her beautiful smile.

I'm Claire.' She informs him.

'I'm… I'm Mac.'

'Well, it was nice bumping into you… Mac." The way she says his name makes him smile. Something that no one has been able to in a very long time. There is something sweet and innocent about her. When she grabs her freebie and runs back to her friend she looks back at him one last time. Mac can't help staring at her direction for a while after she has rejoined her friend a probably forgotten all about him again. Mac shortly after joins his friends at the store.


	2. second meeting

A few weeks later Mac has been on a date with a girl that Stan set him up with but that didn't go so well. Stan has tried to convince Mac to go on another date this weekend but Mac has refused. Instead, Mac is running on the harbor. It's a really hot day in San Diego. One of those days where there is no wind at all. Mac is wearing his work out clothing. After 1 hour of running, he stops to buy a bottle of water. He stops outside the store to stretch his muscles in his legs. There is only one bench that is free. Mac decides to go sit there when he has bought his water.

When Mac comes out of the store he walks over to the bench and takes a seat. He while he is taking a sip of his water a shadow covers the sun. he looks up. It's a girl with the same strawberry blonde hair as the girl who bumped into him a few weeks ago on the beach.

"Is this seat taken?" she asks and smiles.

"no." she sits down next to him.

"It was Mac right?" she asks. He is surprised that she remembers his name.

"yes. Yes and it was Clara right?" he asks. She looks a little disappointed.

"No it was clear…" she realizes that he was just teasing her. "okay you got me." They both start laughing. "cute." They sat for a moment in silence just watching a little duck family swimming by.

"Do you give some?" she asks referring to his open bottle of water. He looks down at his water and then smiles at her.

"Do you normally walk up to strangers on the street and ask for water?" he hands her his water. She takes a big sip and hands him back his water.

"No, just the cute once."

Mac blushes a bit. He is not used to a girl being that direct. They sit in a comfortable silence.

"so what are you doing for a living?" she asks.

"I'm a captain." He sees the surprised look on her face. "in the marines."

"so you are defending our country and keeps law and order?" she asks with a bit of a teasing tone.

"you clearly don't know what marines do? Do you?" she just smiles at him. "yes we do defend the country and our freedom but we don't keep law and order. That is the police who does that."

"Okay. So a captain? Does that mean you are the kind of guy who gets send into war?" she asks. She sounds a bit more serious in her questions now.

"that's a possibility. Yes." He takes another sip of his water.

"Have you been in a war before?" he looks away from her for a moment before he answered.

"sorry that was too close." She says and I about to leave. He grabs her hand.

"No it wasn't." she sits down on the bench again. "yes I have been deployed 2 before."

"Are you going to be deployed again?" she asks.

"possibly yeah. Dependence on how the situation develops in Kuwait."

"what is happening in Kuwait?" Claire asks. Mac chuckled.

"wow you don't watch much news do you?" he asks.

"Nah… I'm a bit busy with my studies. I focus on the economy instead."  
"Doesn't the oil import from Kuwait effect the economy?" Mac asks.

"Yes, it does. I just didn't know that had anything to do with a war in another country."

"everything is connected. you just need to figure out how." Claire chuckles.

"Okay."

"you study economics?" mac asks. Claire nods.

"yeah at USC."

"So you are an undergraduate or?"

"Actually I'm a freshman."

Mac is surprised about that revelation. He had expected that she was a few years younger than him but not that much younger than him.

"Oh… wow."

"you seem very surprised."

"I… I just didn't think you were that much younger than me."

"how old are you?" she asks.

"I'm 24. You?"

"I'm 18. I took a year off in high school so I'm a year behind my classmates."

Mac nods in understanding.  
"you still seem a bit surprised about my age. Is it a problem for you, Captain, that I am 6 years younger than you?"

"I… I don't know." Mac rubs his temple.

"my grandmother always says that ages are just a number."  
"Well, sometimes a number can have a huge impact on things."

"well… that's true."

After sitting on the bench and sharing the rest of Macs water they start walking along the water together just talking.

"Can I ask you something, captain?"

"You don't have to call me captain. You can just call me Mac."

"Okay. Mac. You are a marine right?" mac nods. "yes…" "so does that mean you have a tattoo on your arm with like an anchor or something?"

Mac starts laughing.

"I'm a marine, not a sailor or a pirate."

They both laugh. "okay."

"but no I don't have tattoos. Do you?" he asks. She stops. He looks at her. She has a more serious look on her face now.

"I do. But I want to tell you something first."

"Okay," Mac says. Claire starts walking again and Mac just follows her.

"you know I told you I took a year off from high school." Mac nods. "this is something that I haven't told any guy before, because… It scares most guys." Mac isn't sure what to expect so he just listens without saying anything.

"When I was in high school I had a boyfriend. He was on the school's football team. I wasn't exactly the most popular girl in the school. A few month into senior year I… I got pregnant." Claire stops to see the reaction on Macs face. She is surprised when she doesn't see an expression that says I want to run away.

"my parents wanted me to have an abortion but… I didn't want that. My boyfriend, he promised me that we were going to do it together. He wanted to be a dad and we were going to be happy together and have a baby. Until… he got a football scholarship, and he forgot everything about the baby, becoming a dad and about me. He broke up with me 2 months before we were supposed to have the baby. He didn't want anything to do with me and the baby. My parents were embarrassed about me. They are live on the upper east side of Manhattan. A pregnant teenage daughter doesn't really fit in. so they shipped me off to California. To my grandparents, who took care of me during the last part of my pregnancy and they help me arrange an adoption of my baby boy. After that, they got me into a high school here in San Diego and after graduation, I got into USC. I got a tattoo on my left shoulder blade that symbolizes the adoption with the birth mother, the child, and the adoptive parents." She stops and takes off her long sleeve shirt she is wearing on top of a small top. She turns her back to Mac so he can see the tattoo with the date, of which he assumes is the date of the birth and the adoption. After a moment she turns back to face him.

"so now you know. I understand if you don't want to spend any more time with me. It's fine. I'm used to it."

"I'm not going anywhere." He simply says with a soft voice and takes her hand in comforting her. It was clearly hard for her to tell him about this. It required a huge amount of trust.

"you are a decored Marine captain and you still want to hang out with me even though you now know I'm a troublemaker who has a teen pregnancy in my past?"

"I don't think you are a troublemaker. What you just told me it sounds more to me like you have some really amazing grandparents who love you and has helped you through a really tough time where you had been abandon by a jerk."

Claire smiles.

"Thanks, Mac." She stands up on her tiptoes a gives him a kiss on the cheek. "I'm really glad I told you." They start walking again. "and that you are not running away and thinking I'm crazy… well, actually you could still think that and just not say it."

Mac chuckled. "I don't think you are crazy, Claire."

She looks up at him with a smile.

"I'm starting to get hungry. You want something to eat?" he asks. "I know a great place near by who has a great buffet."

"Uh I…" she looks down at her feet. "whats wrong?" he asks afraid he has overstepped a line. "I'm not asking you on a date. Just having lunch together." She looks up at him. "I just went for a walk this morning to clear my head I don't have my wallet on me or phone or anything."

"My treat." He says.

"you sure?" she asks. He nods. "yeah of course."

"Okay." She smiles and they walk towards the restaurant for lunch.

While they are having lunch they have a pleasant conversation about Claire study and Macs job. Claire is very interested in getting to know more about the life as a marine. She never knew that people like Mac, men, and women who are willing to risk their lives to protect the country and the freedom, even excited.

"I'm sorry if I offend you now but some of the older students on campus I heard they say that Marines they have a lot of different girls. But you don't like the one that does?" Claire says once they leave the restaurant. Mac chuckles a little.

"I'm glad to hear that you don't think I do. I don't. I am not the kind of guy how to go on a new date every weekend."  
"You are a long term relationship kind of guy?" she asks.

"I don't know. I used to think that but… I don't know anymore." He confesses honestly.

"why not?" she asks curiously.

"my girlfriend for almost 2 years… she broke up with me a week before you bumped into me at the beach."

"you bumped into me too." She says sounding a bit offended but with a smile in her eyes.

"she told me when she broke up with me that I had commitment issues. That she didn't fell I was fully committed to our relationship because I wasn't ready to move in with her after 2 years of being together."  
"some people just don't like to live together with other people."

"I don't know. I never even told my parents about her. It just didn't feel right to tell them."

"Is that a big deal for you? I mean telling your parents about a girl?"

Mac nods. "I guess it is. What about you? Is It a big deal for you?"

"to tell my parents?" Mac nods. "I'm not telling my parents anything. They judge everything I do. I'm the complete screw up in the family. But I tell my grandparents a lot."

"so you have a pretty close relationship with your grandparents?"

Claire nods. "I have lived with them since I was 15."

"I thought you moved home to them when you were pregnant?" Mac asks a bit confused about the timeline.

"I did. I got pregnant when I was 15. I was 4 months away from my sweet 16 when I moved home to my grandparents. My sweet 16 was breakfast with my grandparents on the day of my birthday and then in the weekend, my family was invited for my big sweet 16. Everyone besides my parents and my brothers came."

"my parents ashamed of me. They pretended like I didn't exist for almost a year. Now they pretend like nothing ever happened and that 9 months of my life did never happen. I can't do that. I can't just pretend like I never carried that like a baby boy in the body. I can't just forget about him and my parents they blame me everytime I talk about it so I don't really want to talk with them."

"I understand. I mean I can't really understand what you have gone through but I understand you don't want to talk to someone who blames you for something that happened in your past."

"that's Mac for listening to all my shit."

"we all have some shit we are dealing with."

"I just have a lot of it."

They continue walking for a while and just comfortable talking about everything and nothing. While they are walking Claire takes Mac's hand like it was just a natural thing for them to walk hand in hand. Mac doesn't mind at all. Until he notices an older couple looking at them and then looking at each other. Mac suddenly feels uncomfortable holding Claire's hand. At some point, they have walked for hours and sits down on the edge of the waterfront. They are just sitting and looking at the huge Military ships.

"do you know what time it is?" Claire asks at some point.

"hmm… it's 4.30 pm. Do you have a curfew?" mac asks teasing.

"shit… I told my grandmother I just went for a short walk. She is probably wondering where I am."

"Do you need to get home now?"

"Nah she probably just thinks I'm hanging out with my girlfriend Sofia."

"Do you normally lie to your grandmother?"

"Hey, it is not a lie. She assumes something wrong does not make me a liar."

"you that is a subjective definition, right?

"oh my god you sound like my grandfather. He is a layer."

They both start laughing.

"Sorry."

"he is always like… you have to represent your case in a persuasive matter to be able to convince a judge of your point and to make the judge rule in your favor." She tries to imitate her grandfather. They both start laughing.

At around 6 pm Mac and Claire leave the harbor and Mac walk Claire home to her grandparents.

"we are almost there." She says when she stops. They are in a nice looking neighborhood. Diffinetly not the cheapest houses to be found in San Diego. Mac looks around.

"okay, you are different from a high class than I am.

"okay, Chicago street boy." Claire laughs

They continue walking for a bit longer before Claire stops a bit further ahead there is a nice big white house with a big nice looking front yard.

"You don't want me to walk you all the way to your door?" he asks in a teasing tone. He is a gentleman who prefers to walk a girl all the way home.

"I don't want to be interrogated by my grandfather over dinner."

"I think it is called cross examined when it's a layer. Interrogation is what cops do."

"you must really have to spend a lot of time with cops since you know all that."

"Well, two of the 4 girls I have dated are cops know or in the academy to become cops. So yeah…"

"sorry I'm not going to be a cop." She says.

Mac look surprised at her.

"I didn't know we were dating."

"well… do you think maybe we could start… you know… dating. Despite the age difference."

Mac looks down to the ground.

"I don't know. " she looks really disappointed. "I mean I really like you, Claire. Since I first saw you on the beach. You smile. You are so beautiful and now that I know you a bit better I think you are really sweet and really smart, but…"

"I hate that word."

"I just don't think that we will work out together. I mean I'm 6 years older than you. You deserve someone on your own age."  
"yeah remember how I told you that worked out."

"Sorry, Claire. There are guys your age who is really nice. I'm sure of that."  
"Mac, may I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Why did you spend an entire day with me if you don't think I'm worth the try?" she sounds angry now.

"I do think you are worth the try. I just can't stop thinking about the age difference. I want to get to know you even better but I just think about when this age difference will be appropriate. I don't want other people to look at us the way I noticed some did on the harbor."  
"Listen, Mac. The age difference doesn't matter. I don't care what other people think of us. I really like you, Mac. But if other peoples opinion is so important to you, then just forget it."

She walks away from him. He follows her and catches up to her after a while.

"Claire stop."

He grabs her hand. She stands right in front of him. He doesn't know what to say or what to do.

"Mac either you kiss me or you let me go and forget about me." She says in a very determined tone. Mac doesn't need any time to think about that ultimatum. He leans down and kisses her softly and yet passionate on the lips. She places her hand on the back of his neck and tangles her fingers in his hair. His hand is on her cheek and the other one on the back of her head. For the first time, Mac doesn't care about where they are or who sees them. When they finally have to break the kiss for much-needed air Claire is smiling at Mac.

"Wow, Mac. You really know how to convince a girl."

They start laughing. Mac starts looking around in a few of the houses around them people are standing in the windows watching them. Claire stops laughing when she sees an elderly couple in the house right across the street watching them.

"Oh shoot," Claire says covering her face in his shoulder.

"What?"  
"my grandparents are watching us."

Mac can't help to laugh.

"it's not funny. My grandfather is going to question me all night."

"Sorry about that."

He gives a soft kiss on top of her head. He is about a head taller than her.

"I better get in." she says when she sees her grandmother signalize that the dinner is ready.

"Okay."

Claire looks up at him.

"I'll see you again soon?"¨she asks with hope in her voice.

"I don't know." Claire look surprised. " I mean the way it seems like we are just randomly meeting you can't predict randomness." Claire realizes what he is doing.

"You are such a jerk." She says.

"all though I would like to take you out on a real date," Mac says in a serious tone of voice this time.

"I'll like that very much."

"So on Friday night?" he asks.

"that's a date." She says and stands up on her tiptoes to seal the deal with a kiss. They are standing together with arms around each other a bit longer, not willing to let each other go before Claire walks away from him to cross the road and get inside. Mac is standing watching her until the front door is closed behind her before he walks away.

Inside the house, Claire is meet by two very curious looks.

"It seems like I need to find the shotgun out again." Her grandfather says look at his granddaughter's big smile that is impossible for her to hide.

"No grandpa. He is a marine. So don't even try." She says while she is taking off her sweatshirt.

"a marine, ha?" her grandfather asks.

"yep."

Claire walks by her grandparents and into the kitchen. Her grandparents follow her. She is not getting off this easy.

"Does this Marine has a name?" her grandmother asks. Standing in the doorway between the kitchen and the hallway.

"yep. Mac." Claire says when she starts setting the table for dinner as part of her daily routine in the house. Her grandparents are just watching there very happy granddaughter.

"we haven't seen you this happy in a very long time. He must be very special." Her grandmother says. "we are happy for you baby girl."  
"thanks, grandma." Claire gives her grandmother a kiss on the cheek. That was all Claire needed to hear.


End file.
